Online Library of Liberty

19th Century English Radical Individualists

In the late 19thC in Britain, as the Liberal Party gradually abandoned classical liberalism for various aspects of the welfare state and imperialism, a new group of “old liberals” emerged. They were active in the Liberty and Property Defence League organised by Lord Wemyss. They believed in natural rights, a rigorous defence of individual liberty, opposition to the welfare state, and opposition to war and empire. This group eventually disappeared by the outbreak of the First World War.